Data & Statistics

Statistics on the Private Security Industry

This section contains data and statistics on the global private military and security industry, including specific data on contractors working for the United States. The data has been compiled by academic institutions, think tanks, industry associations, and governments.

GLOBAL DATA

True global statistics on private security contractor use does not currently exist. However, a patchwork of different entities gather data on certain regions or types of states. The Confederation of European Security Services provides statistics for PSCs operating in Europe, while the Freie Universität Berlin focuses on private security in weak and fragile states. Other aggregations of private security data, such as those used in humanitarian operations or the numbers of weapons used also appear in this section.

Data and Statistics on the Global PMSC Industry

Author:Zeljko Branovic

Publish Date:2015-Mar

The Private Security Database (PSD) for Areas of Limited Statehood is a quantitative data-gathering project. The PSD project collects data on the use of private military and security companies by public actors and asks in general: who consumed private security in Areas of Limited Statehood (where, how long) and what kind of security was consumed? Visit the PSD website for charts, graphs and statistical analysis of data collected by researchers at the Freie Universitat Berlin.

Author:Brookings

Publish Date:2012-Sep

The Afghanistan Index is a statistical compilation of economic, public opinion and security data. The index provides updated and historical information on various data - including crime, infrastructure, casualties, unemployment, Afghan security forces and coalition troop strength. It is updated every two to three weeks. Note that Brookings also publishes an Iraq Index and Pakistan Index.

Author:Brookings

Publish Date:2012-Sep

The Iraq Index is a statistical compilation of economic, public opinion, and security data. This resource provides updated information on various criteria, including crime, telephone and water service, troop fatalities, unemployment, Iraqi security forces, oil production, and coalition troop strength. Data on contractors is sometimes included. For a full list of private security fatalities, see iCasualty.

Author:Small Arms Survey

Publish Date:2011-Aug

This chapter that appears in the publication Small Arms Survey 2011: States of Insecurity attempts to shed light on a poorly documented aspect of the global private security industry: its use of arms. While much attention has been devoted to debating the legitimacy of PSCs undertaking what may be considered state functions, less effort has gone into documenting the types of small arms used by PSCs and potential gaps in their control. The chapter examines the scale of the private security industry at the global level, calculates the extent to which it is armed, and asks whether PSC equipment contributes to or threatens security.

Author:Nicolas Florquin

Publish Date:2011-Aug

In its 2011 report, "States of Insecurity", Small Arms Survey dedicated Chapter 4 to private security, titling the chapter Booming Business: Private Security and Small Arms. In this Annex to Chapter 4, the extensive data provided in the report is given with the citations for each source of data.

Author:Zeljko Branovic

Publish Date:2011-Apr

The private sector supplies a broad spectrum of military and security services to governments facing a lack of territorial control and law enforcement capacities. Yet a quantifiable picture of the extent to which these private security services are being used by failing or weak governments and the implications this use might have for the security environment has not been properly painted. This paper aims to fill this gap by presenting statistical findings on the use of private military and security companies (PMSCs) in failing states. The paper also reviews the literature on the strategic role of PMSCs in contexts of conflict and state failure, and deduces empirically testable propositions and expectations based on the perspective of advocates and critics. This document is part of DCAF Occasional Paper series.

Author:CoESS

Publish Date:2011-Jan

This report of the Confederation of European Security Services (CoESS) is an update of CoESS Facts & Figures 2008 analysis. It provides a comprehensive overview of the European private security services landscape and targets a wide geographical area of 34 countries, i.e. the 27 EU Member States and seven additional European countries: Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland and Turkey. It provides an updated and accurate outline of the private security services sector focusing on the legal, social and economic realities within these countries and looks to identify similarities and differences between them.

Author:Abby Stoddard et al.

Publish Date:2008-Oct

A 2008 global survey of aid organizations conducted for this research revealed that the contracting of certain security functions to external professionals has become increasingly common among humanitarian operations worldwide. This trend has followed both the rise in aid worker violence and the proliferation of international private security companies around the operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Yet despite alarming predictions, the use of armed protection by security contractors remains the exception and is confined to a small number of contexts.

Author:CoESS

Publish Date:2008-Jan

CoESS study on Private Security in Europe  CoESS Facts & Figures provides a comprehensive overview of the European private security services industry. The study covers a wide geographical area targeting a total of 34 countries, i.e. the 27 EU Member States as well as 7 other European countries: Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland and Turkey. It provides an updated and accurate outline of the private security services sector focusing on the legal, social and economic realities within these countries and a statistical summary of the private security industry in each country.

Author:CoESS

Publish Date:2004-Jan

CoESS and UNI-Europa, produced this 2004 overview of the private security industry in all 25 EU Member States. It aims to provide a general outline of the current situation of the private security industry in the individual Member States by providing a statistical summary of the private security industry in each EU country.

UNITED STATES DATA

The United States is the world's largest consumer of private military and security services, and as such there exists a large amount of data and analysis of the government's use of security contractors. While the U.S. government collects data on contractor personnel numbers deployed in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility through the use of its SPOT Tracking System, that data is largely classified. What is available—whether through government disclosures, government reports or independent investigative journalism—appears below, organized by topic.

Contractor Hiring and Payment Information

Author:U.S. GSA

Publish Date:2015-Mar

To comply with federal requirements for contract data reporting, federal agencies use the Federal Procurement Data System, a government-wide online contract reporting system. Awarded contract actions are reported daily to the Federal Procurement Data System and then added to the publicly-available USASpending.gov after a 90-day delay to ensure security of current and imminent military operations.

Author:U.S. OMB

Publish Date:2015-Mar

The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act requires that the Office of Management and Budget establish a single searchable website, accessible to the public at no cost, which includes for each Federal contract award: the name of the entity receiving the award; the amount of the award; information on the award including transaction type, funding agency, etc.; and the location of the entity receiving the award. USAspending.gov was first launched in December 2007 to fulfill these requirements. The information shown on the website is provided directly by federal agencies.

Publish Date:2015-Mar

Author:US GSA

Publish Date:2015-Mar

The Excluded Parties List System (EPLS) is maintained by the U.S. General Services Administration. The EPLS is an electronic, web-based system that identifies those parties excluded from receiving Federal contracts, certain subcontracts, and certain types of Federal financial and nonfinancial assistance and benefits. The user is able to search, view, and download both current and archived lists of suspended and debarred contractors.

Number of Contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan

Author:U.S. Department of Defense

Publish Date:2015-Mar

These reports contain DOD contractor personnel numbers in Iraq (Operation New Dawn) Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom), and the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) area of responsibility. The number of contractors used for private security is separated from the overall tally. Reports are issued quarterly, each fiscal year beginning in August 2008 to the present.

Author:U.S. GAO

Publish Date:2010-Oct

In this report, GAO assesses the implementation of the Synchronized Pre-deployment and Operational Tracker (SPOT) and data reported by the three agencies for Afghanistan and Iraq for FY 2009 and the first half of FY 2010 on the (1) number of contractor and assistance personnel, including those providing security; (2) number of personnel killed or wounded; and (3) number and value of contracts and assistance instruments and extent of competition for new awards. It includes comments from USAID.

Author:U.S. GAO

Publish Date:2009-Oct

In this report, GAO analyzes DOD, State, and USAID data for Iraq and Afghanistan for FY 2008 and the first half of FY 2009 on the (1) status of agency efforts to track information on contracts and contractor personnel; (2) number of contractor personnel; (3) number of killed and wounded contractors; and (4) number and value of contracts and extent to which they were awarded competitively. It includes recommendations by the GAO and comments by the Departments of Defense and State and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Author:U.S. GAO

Publish Date:2008-Nov

In this report, GAO analyzed DOD, State, and USAID data on contracting activities in Iraq and Afghanistan for fiscal year 2007 and the first half of fiscal year 2008 including (1) the number and value of contracts and the extent they were awarded competitively; (2) the number of contractor personnel, including those performing security functions; and (3) the number of contractor personnel who were killed or wounded. GAO also reviewed the status of the three agencies memorandum of understanding related to maintaining data on contracts and contractor personnel.

Number of Armed Contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan

Author:U.S. Department of Defense

Publish Date:2015-Mar

These reports contain DOD contractor personnel numbers in Iraq (Operation New Dawn) Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom), and the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) area of responsibility. The number of contractors used for private security is separated from the overall tally. Reports are issued quarterly, each fiscal year beginning in August 2008 to the present.

Number of U.S. versus Foreign Workers in Iraq and Afghanistan

Author:ProPublica

Publish Date:2015-Mar

These pie charts display the number of U.S. contractors versus third-country nationals working as contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan. It excludes Iraqi and Afghans working as contractors. The charts were created in 2008 using U.S. Department of Labor data.

Author:U.S. Department of Defense

Publish Date:2015-Mar

These reports contain DOD contractor personnel numbers in Iraq (Operation New Dawn) Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom), and the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) area of responsibility. The number of contractors used for private security is separated from the overall tally. Reports are issued quarterly, each fiscal year beginning in August 2008 to the present.

Author:USAID OIG

Publish Date:2010-Nov

The purpose of this survey was (1) to determine the number of serious security incidents involving private security contractors that occurred between July 1, 2007, and June 30, 2009, and (2) to follow up on the effectiveness of the USAID missions and implementing partners actions in implementing March 2009 audit report recommendations. The survey found that USAID/Iraqs implementing partners did not establish procedures to monitor reporting of serious security incidents and did not consistently report incidents as required by the prior audit recommendations.

Author:SIGIR

Publish Date:2009-Jul

This report focuses on the Department of Defenses oversight of incidents involving the firing of weapons reported from May 2008 through February 2009 by its PSCs. Specifically, the report examines (1) the number and types of serious incidents involving weapons discharges and (2) the extent to which actions taken to investigate and remediate these incidents can be verified.

Injuries and Deaths to Government Contractors

Author:ProPublica

Publish Date:2015-Mar

As part of ProPublicas investigation Disposable Army: Civilian Contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan into the federally financed workers' compensation program that provides medical insurance to injured war contractors, journalists created a map of civilian contractors by U.S. state who were injured or killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. The map was created in 2008.

Author:U.S. Department of Labor

Publish Date:2015-Mar

Under the U.S. Defense Base Act, American defense contractors are obliged to report the war zone deaths and injuries of their employeesincluding subcontractors and foreign workersto the Department of Labor Office of Workers Compensation Programs (OWCP). The OWCP compiles reports based on this information and also based on claims submitted by injured workers and their survivors in the event of death. Only one case is created for each occurrence, so even if the injury or death is reported by the employer and employee or family, it is only counted once.

Author:ProPublica

Publish Date:2015-Mar

As part of ProPublicas investigation Disposable Army: Civilian Contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan into the federally financed workers' compensation program that provides medical insurance to injured war contractors, journalists created a map of civilian contractors by country who were injured or killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Outside of the United States, which has had some 18,000 contractors injured or killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, India has the most with 381 contractors injured or killed. The map was created in 2008.

Author:Steven L. Schooner, Collin D. Swan

Publish Date:2012-Jan

This article was published in the Journal of National Security Law & Policy. When a nation deploys ground forces, an inverse relationship exists between the number of military deaths and public support. This stark and monolithic metric, which economists call the casualty sensitivity effect, requires close examination today. On the modern battlefield, contractor personnel die at rates similar to or indeed often in excess of soldiers, yet the U.S. public and Congress remain largely unaware of this substitution. This article explains the phenomenon, identifies some of the challenges and complexities associated with quantifying and qualifying the real price of combat in a modern outsourced military, and encourages greater transparency.

Author:Hannah Fischer

Publish Date:2009-Sep

This report presents various governmental and nongovernmental estimates of Iraqi civilian, police, and security forces fatalities. Because the estimates contained in this report are based on varying time periods and have been created using differing methodologies, CSR instructs readers to exercise caution when using them and to look to them as guideposts rather than as statements of fact.

Historical US Data on the use of Contractors

Author:DPAP

Publish Date:2014-Apr

This report from the Defense Procurement and Acquisition Policy describes the US's historical use of contractors from the Revolutionary War to operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Contracting by the US military began with the recognition that direct purchase of goods and services was inefficient and wasteful. Data included in the report details the estimated number of contracted personnel and the number of military personnel in each conflict.

Department of Labor Statistics

The Department of Labor compiles data on contractor injuries or deaths working for U.S. bases around the world. Under the U.S. Defense Base Act, American defense contractors are obliged to report the war zone deaths and injuries of their employees—including subcontractors and foreign workers—to the Department of Labor Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP). The OWCP reports are available by employer, by insurance carrier, and by country. For further explanation about the data, view the Department of Labor background information site. According to the Department of Labor, these reports do not constitute the complete or official casualty statistics of civilian contractor injuries and deaths. They are offered as general information to the public who may be interested in the scope of civilian government contracting overseas.

The following provides cumulative information on contractor employee injuries and deaths from 2001 to 2011 as well as fiscal year reports from 2009-2012. Previous fiscal year reports are unavailable. Starting in 2009, a quarterly breakdown of cumulative injuries and deaths can be found on the Department of Labor Statistics website.

Cumulative Report of casualties from 2001-2014

Publish Date:2014-Dec

The U.S. Defense Base Act requires American defense contractors to report war zone deaths and injuries of employees, including subcontractors and foreign workers. This report summarizes all employee injuries and deaths from 2001 until December of 2014. The Department of Labor compiles the reports into data sets organized into three categories:

Notably, the reports do not provide information on the nationality of employees injured or killed in operations. The Department of Labor also states that the reports are not official statistics nor necessarily complete.

Casualties by Fiscal Year (2009-2013)

Publish Date:2013-Oct

The U.S. Defense Base Act requires American defense contractors to report war zone deaths and injuries of employees, including subcontractors and foreign workers. This report summarizes all employee injuries and deaths for the fiscal year 2012. The Department of Labor compiles the reports into data sets organized into three categories:

Notably, the reports do not provide information on the nationality of employees injured or killed in operations. The Department of Labor also states that the reports are not official statistics nor necessarily complete.

Publish Date:2012-Sep

The U.S. Defense Base Act requires American defense contractors to report war zone deaths and injuries of employees, including subcontractors and foreign workers. This report summarizes all employee injuries and deaths for the fiscal year 2012. The Department of Labor compiles the reports into data sets organized into three categories:

Notably, the reports do not provide information on the nationality of employees injured or killed in operations. The Department of Labor also states that the reports are not official statistics nor necessarily complete.

Publish Date:2011-Sep

The U.S. Defense Base Act requires American defense contractors to report war zone deaths and injuries of employees, including subcontractors and foreign workers. This report summarizes all employee injuries and deaths for the fiscal year 2011. The Department of Labor compiles the reports into data sets organized into three categories:

Notably, the reports do not provide information on the nationality of employees injured or killed in operations. The Department of Labor also states that the reports are not official statistics nor necessarily complete.

Publish Date:2010-Sep

The U.S. Defense Base Act requires American defense contractors to report war zone deaths and injuries of employees, including subcontractors and foreign workers. This report summarizes all employee injuries and deaths for the fiscal year 2010. The Department of Labor compiles the reports into data sets organized into three categories:

Notably, the reports do not provide information on the nationality of employees injured or killed in operations. The Department of Labor also states that the reports are not official statistics nor necessarily complete.

Publish Date:2009-Sep

The U.S. Defense Base Act requires American defense contractors to report war zone deaths and injuries of employees, including subcontractors and foreign workers. This report summarizes all employee injuries and deaths for the fiscal year 2009. The Department of Labor compiles the reports into data sets organized into three categories:

Notably, the reports do not provide information on the nationality of employees injured or killed in operations. The Department of Labor also states that the reports are not official statistics nor necessarily complete.

The U.S. Department of Defense issues statistical reports on the number of contractors supporting U.S. operations in the U.S. CENTCOM Area of Responsibility, Iraq, and Afghanistan. The number of U.S. nationals, third-country nations, and local/host country nationals employed as contractors is reported. Reports are issued quarterly, each fiscal year beginning in August 2008 to the present.

CENTCOM Quarterly Contractor Census Reports

FY 2015

Author:Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Program Support

Publish Date:2015-Jan

In 1st quarter FY 2015, USCENTCOM reported 54,700 contractor personnel working for the DoD in the USCENTCOM Area of Responsibility. This total reflects a decrease of approximately 6.2k from the previous quarter. In Afghanistan, there were approximately 39,600 contractors, a decrease of 12% from the previous quarter. Contractors in Iraq numbered about 5,000, 250 of which are supporting DoD funded contracts as translator/interpreters, communications, logistics, and maintenance functions.

FY 2014

Author:Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Program Support

Publish Date:2014-Oct

In 4th quarter FY 2014, USCENTCOM reported 60,860 contractor personnel working for the DoD in the USCENTCOM Area of Responsibility. This total reflects a decrease of approximately 6k from the previous quarter. The numbers of contractor personnel in other USCENTCOM locations (except Afghanistan) make up about 25.5% of the total contractor population in the USCENTCOM AOR.

Author:Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Program Support

Publish Date:2014-Jul

In 3rd quarter FY 2014, USCENTCOM reported approximately 66,123 contractor personnel working for the DoD in the USCENTCOM Area of Responsibility. This total reflects a decrease of approximately 12.5K from the previous quarter. The numbers of contractor personnel in other USCENTCOM locations (except Afghanistan) make up about 21.13% of the total contractor population in the USCENTCOM AOR.

Author:Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Program Support

Publish Date:2014-Apr

In 2nd quarter FY 2014, USCENTCOM reported approximately 78,638 contractor personnel working for the DoD in the USCENTCOM AOR. This total reflects a decrease of approximately 20.5K from the previous quarter. The numbers of contractor personnel in other USCENTCOM locations (except Afghanistan) make up about 21.85% of the total contractor population in the USCENTCOM AOR.

Author:Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Program Support

Publish Date:2014-Jan

In 1st quarter FY 2014, USCENTCOM reported approximately 99,057 contractor personnel working for the DoD in the USCENTCOM AOR. This total reflects a significant decrease from the previous quarter. The numbers of contractors in other USCENTCOM locations make up about 17.9% of the total contractor population in the USCENTCOM AOR.

FY 2013

Author:Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Program Support

Publish Date:2013-Oct

In 4th quarter FY 2013, USCENTCOM reported approximately 111,500 contractor personnel working for the DoD in the USCENTCOM AOR. This total reflects a significant decrease from the previous quarter. The number of contractors in other USCENTCOM locations make up about 17.4% of the total contractor population in the USCENTCOM AOR. A breakdown of DoD contractor personnel is provided detail in the report.

Author:Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Program Support

Publish Date:2013-Jul

In the 3rd quarter of FY 2013, the DOD contractor footprint in Afghanistan decreased by 5.5% in personnel, and contractor numbers in Iraq also decreased significantly. In both Iraq and Afghanistan the DOD is planning substantial contractor reductions for FY 2013, due to base closures, fiscal tightening, and drawdown of operations.

Author:Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Program Support

Publish Date:2013-Apr

In the 2nd quarter of FY 2013, the DOD contractor footprint in Afghanistan decreased by 2.4% in personnel, while contractor numbers in Iraq remained almost identical to the previous quarter. In both Iraq and Afghanistan the DOD is planning substantial contractor reductions for FY 2013, due to base closures, fiscal tightening, and drawdown of operations.

Author:Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Program Support

Publish Date:2013-Jan

In the 1st quarter of FY 2013, the DOD contractor footprint in Afghanistan had a slight uptick in personnel, while contractor numbers in Iraq remained almost identical to the previous quarter. Iraq contractors plan to decrease significantly in 2013 as the DOD consolidates operations. In addition, Afghanistan private security contractors will decline once the Afghan Public Protection Force takes over contracts on March 20, 2013.

Author:Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Program Support

Publish Date:2012-Apr

According to this report in the second quarter of fiscal year 2012, approximately 153,000 contractor personnel were working for the DOD in the USCENTCOM area of responsibility. This was approximately a .6% increase from the previous quarter. The number of contractors outside of Afghanistan and Iraq make up about 16% of the total contractor population in the USCENTCOM AOR.

Author:Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Program Support

Publish Date:2012-Jan

According to this report, in the first quarter of fiscal year 2012, the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) reported approximately 152,000 contractor personnel working for the DOD in the USCENTCOM area of responsibility. The contractor to military ratio in Afghanistan was 1.1 to 1, while the number of contractors in Iraq decreased commensurate with the U.S. troop withdrawal. The report identifies the number of contractors performing security services and also contains details on DOD improvements to contractor management and oversight.

FY 2011

Author:Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Program Support

Publish Date:2011-Oct

According to this report, in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2011, the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) reported approximately 175,000 contractor personnel working for the DOD in the USCENTCOM area of responsibility. The report identifies the number of contractors performing security services and also contains details on DOD improvements to contractor management and oversight.

Author:Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Program Support

Publish Date:2011-Jul

According to this report, in the third quarter fiscal year 2011, the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) reported approximately 175,000 contractor personnel working for the DOD in the USCENTCOM area of responsibility. In Iraq, 16.6% of contractors are used for security. The report also identifies the number of PMSCs in Afghanistan and contains details on DOD improvements to contractor management and oversight.

Author:Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Program Support

Publish Date:2011-Apr

According to this report, in the second quarter of fiscal year 2011, the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) reported approximately 173,644 contractor personnel working for the DOD in the USCENTCOM area of responsibility. The report identifies the number of contractors performing security services and also contains details on DOD improvements to contractor management and oversight.

Author:Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Program Support

Publish Date:2011-Jan

According to this report, in the first quarter of fiscal year 2011, the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) reported approximately 176,161 contractor personnel working for the DOD in the USCENTCOM area of responsibility. Over the past year there have been consistent decreases in Iraq and slight increases in Afghanistan. The report also contains the number of contractors performing security services and details on DOD improvements to contractor management and oversight.

FY 2010

Author:Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Program Support

Publish Date:2010-Dec

This is a revised report. Previously for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2010, the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) reported approximately 194,405 contractor personnel working in the USCENTCOM area of responsibility (AOR). Because aspects of the earlier census appeared anomalous, a second count was undertaken. The revised count shows a total of 176,340 contractor personnel working for the DOD in the USCENTCOM AOR. In addition to this census, the report contains details on the DOD improvements to contractor management and oversight.

Author:Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Program Support

Publish Date:2010-Sep

According to this report, in the third quarter of fiscal year 2010, the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) reported approximately 224,433 contractor personnel working for the DOD in the USCENTCOM area of responsibility (AOR). There was a decrease in contractors AOR wide of 10% this quarter, with significant decreases in Iraq and a steady state in Afghanistan. The report also contains the number of contractors performing security services and details on DOD improvements to contractor management and oversight.

Author:Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Program Support

Publish Date:2010-May

According to this report, at the end of the second quarter of fiscal year 2010, the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) reported approximately 250,335 contractor personnel working for the DOD in the USCENTCOM area of responsibility. The report identifies the number of contractors performing security services and contains details on the DOD improvements to contractor management and oversight.

Author:Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Program Support

Publish Date:2010-Feb

According to this report, at the end of the first quarter of fiscal year 2010, the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) reported approximately 239,451 contractor personnel working for the DOD in the USCENTCOM area of responsibility (AOR). Compared to the fourth quarter FY 2009 census, the number of armed DOD PMSC personnel in Afghanistan increased by 12% and there was a 16 % decrease of armed DOD PMSCs in Iraq. The report ends with details on DOD improvements to contractor management and oversight.

FY 2009

Author:Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Program Support

Publish Date:2009-Nov

According to this report, at the end of the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2009, the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) reported approximately 242,230 contractor personnel working for the DOD in the USCENTCOM area of responsibility. The number of armed DOD PMSCs in Afghanistan doubled compared to the third quarter FY 2009 census. The report concludes with details about DOD improvements to contractor management and oversight.

Author:Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Program Support

Publish Date:2009-Aug

According to this report, at the end of the third quarter of fiscal year 2009, the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) reported approximately 243,735 contractor personnel working for the DOD in the USCENTCOM area of responsibility. The number of contractors in Iraq decreased while the number in Afghanistan increased. However, there was a 19 % increase of armed DOD PMSCs in Iraq compared to the second quarter FY 2009 census. The report concludes with details on the DOD improvements to contractor management and oversight.

Author:Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Program Support

Publish Date:2009-May

According to this report, at the end of the second quarter of fiscal year 2009, approximately 242,657 contractor personnel were working for the DOD in the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) area of responsibility. While the overall number of contractors decreased, there was a 23% increase of armed DOD PMSCs in Iraq compared to the first quarter FY 2009 census, and a 29% increase of armed DOD PMSCs in Afghanistan. The report also contains details on the DOD improvements to contractor management and oversight.

Author:Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Program Support

Publish Date:2009-Feb

According to this report, at the end of the first quarter of fiscal year 2009, the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) reported approximately 259,400 contractor personnel working for the DOD in the USCENTCOM area of responsibility, an overall decrease that is attributed to revised reporting procedures. A decrease in the number of private security contractors was also reported. Finally, the report contains details on the DOD improvements to contractor management and oversight.

FY 2008

Author:Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Program Suppor

Publish Date:2008-Nov

According to this report, at the end of the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2008, the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) reported over 266,600 contractor personnel working for the DOD in the USCENTCOM area of responsibility. The report also identifies the number of contractors performing security services, contains information about the legal status of contractors, and contains details on DOD improvements to contractor management and oversight.

Author:Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Program Support

Publish Date:2008-Aug

According to this report, at the end of the third quarter of fiscal year 2008, the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) reported over 242,500 contractor personnel working for the DOD in the USCENTCOM area of responsibility. The report identifies the number of contractors performing security services, discusses the specific DOD guidance on arming contractor personnel and private security contractors, and contains details on the DOD improvements to contractor management and oversight.

FY 2007-2008 (Iraq only)

Author:CENTCOM

Publish Date:2007-Jun

According to these reports obtained through a FOIA request, the total number of contractors operating in Iraq over the course of mid 2007 to early 2008 increased. The quarterly numbers jumped from 136655 in 3rd quarter 2007 to 163591 in 1st quarter 2008. The data is provided in an extensive spreadsheet.